Final answer:
Jewish immigrants in the South were subjected to prejudice, but their status as white often shielded them from the harshest racial segregation. They created support networks to confront anti-Semitism, and over time, assimilated into American society while preserving cultural traditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the South's local racial hierarchy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish immigrants occupied an ambiguous position. They faced prejudice and discrimination, similar to other immigrant groups, but their whiteness offered some insulation from the most extreme forms of racism directed at African Americans under Jim Crow laws. Jewish communities often had to navigate complicated social dynamics as they were scapegoated and stereotyped, yet they also built institutions like the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League to combat anti-Semitism and support their own.
Despite setbacks and the persistence of ethnic prejudice, Jewish immigrants in cities formed vibrant communities that acted as a bridge between their old-world traditions and their new American identity. Multiethnic enclaves in major cities like New York provided a place where Jews could both maintain aspects of their cultural heritage and integrate into American society. Over time and generations, these communities adapted, with individuals gaining the freedom to assimilate to a degree that lessened the visibility of their ethnic background.